Yost shuffles batting order at top, but Royals fall to Twins, 6-2

KANSAS CITY, Mo. The Royals’ lineup card brought a new look at the top for the first time this season, but the losing refrain continued.

The Twins opened a three-game series with a 6-2 victory before 36,825 at Kauffman Stadium on Monday, sending the Royals to a fourth straight defeat.

The American League Central lead over the second-place Twins fell to 11 games and the Royals didn’t cash an opportunity to reduce their magic number mostly because they couldn’t solve starter Tommy Milone.

At one point, Milone, a finesse left-hander, had retired 14 of 15 Royals, who scored single runs in the first and seventh innings. Milone surrendered six hits and two runs in seven innings and is the latest in a line of starters who have quieted Royals bats, no matter the order.

On Monday, for the first time since Sept. 12, 2014, shortstop Alcides Escobar did not bat leadoff for the Royals, and essentially manager Ned Yost trifled with a good thing.

The Royals fared well with Escobar at the top, powering into and through last season’s playoffs and holding the American League’s best record this year.

But with the move of Escobar to the bottom of the batting order and Ben Zobrist to the top, Yost played the percentages.

Specifically, on-base percentages.

Escboar carried a .320 on-base percentage into Monday’s game against the Twins. In the 18 games since he was acquired from the Oakland A’s, Zobrist has reached base at a .440 rate, and for the season stands at .417.

“We’ve been thinking about doing this ever since we got Zobrist,” Yost said. “Esky had really filled a great role for us starting about this time last year. But there’s a big difference between a (.320) on-base and .420.”

The switch won’t stop with Zobrist at the top. Yost said it’s likely Alex Gordon will bat second. He led off for about week earlier in the season but has hit sixth most of the year.

Gordon’s .383 on-base percentage ranks among the team leaders.

“You’ll have two on-base guys getting on for our run producers,” Yost said. “Esky, I see him more as run producer. We’re looking for ways to maximize our scoring potential.”

The search for more offense continues after Monday’s effort. Zobrist went hitless in four plate appearances, and Escobar scratched out a single in one of his three appearances.

The Twins pulled away from a 1-1 game with three in the sixth off starter Yordano Ventura, 10-8, whose streak of consecutive victories ended at six. Ventura maintained his strikeout punch with eight, but walked five and uncorked a wild pitch that allowed a run.

The big inning came after Aaron Hicks whacked Ventura’s third pitch of the evening, a high change up, into the right field bullpen, and the Royals’ response in the first.

Lorenzo Cain dropped a one-out single to center and moved to third on Eric Hosmer’s bouncer through the right side.

Up stepped Kendrys Morales, and the team’s top run producer came through in milestone fashion. His grounder to shortstop Eduardo Escobar was deep enough in the hole that the Twins could only record the out at second.

Cain scored, and for the second time in his career and Morales had driven in his 100th run this season. The first one happened in 2008, when he drove in 108 runs for the Angels.

The last Royals player to hit the century mark was the player Morales replaces at designated hitter, Billy Butler. He drove in 107 in 2012.

The game remained even until the sixth. The Twins opened the inning with three straight singles, the last by Eduardo Escobar for the RBI. A Ventura wild pitch, the first of two in the inning, brought in another and Joe Mauer’s sacrifice fly off reliever Kelvin Herrera made it 4-1.

Herrera was appearing in a game for the first time since being diagnosed with chicken pox. The hard-throwing right-handed finished the inning without further damage.

The Twins added two more in the seventh off Joba Chamberlain, making his Royals’ debut.

The Royals got one back in the seventh on Salvador Perez’s sacrifice fly after Morales and Mike Moustakas had singled, but Moustakas ended the inning when he was thrown out at the plate in front of Paulo Orlando’s double.

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